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TEXT NO 4 Juan Ponce de Leon was the first Spaniard to touch the shores of the present UnitedStates. As Columbus had not remotely realized the extent of his momentous discovery, so de Leon never dreamed that his "island" of Florida was a peninsular extension of the vast North American continent. After coming to the New World with Columbus in 1493, he had led the occupation of Puerto Rico in 1508 and governed it from 1509 to 1512 . In 1509, de Leon started a colony at Caparra, later abandoned in favor of San Juan. He was one of the first adelantados-men who "advanced" the Spanish Empire by conquest, subjugation of the Indians, and establishment of a semi-military government. In Puerto Rico he heard a legend about an island called Bimini, where there was said to be a spring that restored youth to all who bathed in it. It is said he was seeking this spring when he discovered Florida. He sailed from Puerto Rico in March 1513 . On Easter Sunday he sighted the coast. A few days later he landed on Florida's east coast, near what is now St. Augustine. He named the place La Florida after the Spanish term for Easter Sunday-Pascua florida, or "flowery feast." He then sailed around the peninsula and up the west coast. He returned to Florida in 1521 .
In what year did de Leon discover Florida? (A) 1508 (B) 1513 (C) 1521 (D) 1492 (B) The third paragraph clearly states that de Leon landed on Florida's east coast in March, 1513. The other choices, then, are obviously incorrect. Question 1
What was the title of the first colony started by Ponce de Leon in Puerto Rico? (A) San Juan (B) La Florida (C) Caparra (D) St. Augustine (C) According to the passage, Ponce de Leon started a colony in Caparra in 1509 and later abandoned it in favor of San Juan (A). La Florida (B) is the name de Leon gave to the peninsular extension of North America, and St. Augustine (D) is the name later given to the area in Florida where he landed in 1513. Question 2
What was the name of the legendary island where the fabled Fountain of Youth was said to be? (A) Cuba (B) Bimini (C) Atlantis (D) Bermuda (B) The second paragraph clearly states that the legendary island was named "Bimini." The other choices are thus incorrect. Question 3
Which of the following is implied by the passage? (A) Ponce de Leon was the true discoverer of the North American continent. (B) Ponce de Leon rejected the philosophy of the adelantados. (C) Ponce de Leon may have discovered Florida "by accident." (D) Ponce de Leon's greatest contribution was his discovery of the Fountain of Youth. (C) The passage states, "it is said he was seeking this spring [The Fountain of Youth] when he discovered Florida." None of the other statements are supported by the passage Question 4
Pascua florida is the Spanish term for which holiday? (A) Easter Sunday (B) Christmas (C) Thanksgiving (D) Palm Sunday (A) The second paragraph states that "he named the place La Florida after the Spanish term for Easter Sunday - Pascua florida." Question 5
According to the passage, which of the following was NOT a means of advancement of the Spanish Empire in the New World? (A) Conquest (B) Subjugation of Indians (C) Establishment of semi-military governments (D) Treaties and negotiation (D) Nowhere in the passage is it stated that the Spanish Empire was advanced through negotiations - only by subjugation and force. Question 6
From the passage, it can be assumed that a "peninsula" is (A) a volcanic island. (B) an island completely surrounded by water. (C) an extension of land surrounded almost completely bywater. (D) an island inhabited by Indians. (C) If you can imagine what Florida looks like on a map, you know that three of its sides are surrounded by water, while the top part is attached to the rest of the North American continent. Such a land formation is called a "peninsula." Choice (C), which restates this definition, is the correct answer. Choice (A) is incorrect because the passage mentions nothing about volcanoes in Florida. Choice (B), an island, is what de Leon thought Florida was; he did not realize it was part of a huge continent. And choice (D) is incorrect because the shape of the land mass, incorrectly called an island, has nothing to do with its inhabitants. Question 7
The tone of the word "advanced" in line 7 suggests that (A) adelantados favor progress. (B) progress could not have occurred without subjugation. (C) progress is related to conquest and subjugation. (D) conquest, subjugation, and semi-military government are not progress. (D) This question asks you about the intent (or tone) of a word, instead of its meaning. Because the word "advanced" is in quotations in the passage itself, we can assume that the author of the passage had a different meaning in mind for the word, implying that the way adelantados "advanced" the Spanish Empire was wrong. Choice (A), which states that adelantados favor progress, is true, but it does not give a negative meaning to "advanced." (A) is incorrect. (B), progress could not have occurred without subjugation (repression), may be the way the adelantados felt, but not how the author feels. (B) is incorrect. (C) is also incorrect. Although progress may be related to conquest and subjugation, it is not what the tone of "advanced" suggests. (D) is correct because the quotations around "advanced" suggest the author's feelings that what adelantados believe is progress really is not. Question 8
According to the passage. Ponce de Leon believed the land he discovered was (A) part of the .Bahamas. (B) the new "island" of Florida. (C) the mainland of the United States. (D) Puerto Rico. (B) According to the passage, de Leon believed he had discovered a new island called Florida. (B), which restates this, is the correct answer. (A), (C), and (D) are therefore incorrect. Question 9
Ponce de Leon was classified as an adelantado because he (A) was a great explorer. (B) was the first Spaniard to see the shores of the United States. (C) conquered and ruled by military force. (D) claimed Florida for the King of Spain. (C) Although de Leon was a great explorer and was the first Spaniard to see the shores of the United States, that is not what adelantado means, so choices (A) and (B) are incorrect. The passage does not state that de Leon claimed Florida for the King of Spain, so (D) is incorrect. The passage states that an adelantado is one who "'advanced' the Spanish Empire by conquest, subjugation of the Indians, and establishment of a semimilitary government." (C), conquered and ruled by military force, restates the passage, and therefore is correct. Question 10